Returning

Another Chinese New Year. They seem to pale with each passing year, and I know that when my grandmothers are gone they will no longer hold any meaning. It is a tribute to the very last generation that has refused to submit itself to the shocking, soporific present.

I have been neglecting my pond for the past half a year. After 1 year of exquisite care, I realise that all but the hardiest of my dragons and serpents eventually succumb to the mobbing ferocity of the koi. Better to let them fend for themselves.

It thus came as a shock today when I lifted the lid off the filter tank. Gliding below the surface nearly half a foot long was the twitching, lithe vampire tetra I had thought to be dead. These fish come from the Amazon, all teeth and sinew, where they prey on pirahnas.

It was a prize find, but so very small when I first bought it half a year ago. After weeks of painstaking care, it vanished. That was when I gave up. Finding it again today has taught me that I give up way too easily. So I'm back. Those koi had better watch out.